We all are familiar with these whispy dandelion seeds. I am betting that as a child you picked one of the bulbous flowers, squeezed your eyes tight, as your mind formulated a wish that contained your heart’s desire, then lightly blew the transparent seeds, sending them scattering on the wind’s currents. Sound familiar? Sure it does! There is just something enticing about these starry shaped seeds that seems to exude magic!

These dandelion seeds wished upon carried our childhood hopes and dreams entwined within their silky fibers. Their presence today, even as adults, still holds a whimsical wonderment reminding us of the joyful moments spent believing in the magic found in nature. This magic has not deserted us. It lies deep within us waiting to be rediscovered. Nature provides magnificent moments for us. It is up to you to allow the magic found in nature, permission to become part of your world again. As children we had no problem noticing the most minute details that encircled our environment. We could haphazardly wish upon dandelion seed flowers, sending our wishes off into the atmosphere, secure in the knowledge that our wishes would be heard and materialize somehow in our lives. Life was simple then. Although we may have grown into adults, magic never ages, waiting patiently for us to uncover it. Delight in special aspects of nature, enhancing the magic moments found in something as simple as making a wish upon a dandelion seed flower! Allow the Earth’s wonder to rekindle the flame of childhood memories once more!

Photography taken by the writer and may not be reused, copied, or altered in any manner without written consent from the writer. Thank you! 🙂

You know you’ve all done it! You see a fountain resplendent with light illuminated by the sun and it lures you over. Glancing along the bottom of this fabulous source of water, you see glinting pennies lining the bottom, representing wishes of those that had lingered beside this same fountain. Here they stood eyes squeezed shut, heart filled with hope, and tossed their penny or two gleefully into the fountain hoping that their wish would be heard, causing their secret desires to become reality.

As a smile plays across my lips I reach into my pocket, producing two shiny pennies. Much like those before me I squeeze my eyes shut, pause, taking a moment to languish in the hope of wishes coming true, then open my eyes and send my two pennies sailing through the air. They land in the fountain with a satisfying plunk, immersing themselves in the watery depths, co-mingling with all the other hopes and wishes. I turn, walking away with a light heart. What was it that I wished for you may be wondering? That wish is between me and those two pennies! 🙂

I met my best friend Jaime over thirty years ago on the first day of kindergarten! I had been worried about making new friends on my first day of school so I had asked my mother how I should make friends. She told me to simply be a friendly person and go up to other children saying, “Hi my name is Jennifer, do you want to be friends?”

Being five, I took her words very literally, and when I entered school on that first day of kindergarten, I approached a tiny fellow classmate with the longest hair I had ever seen and said those exact words my mother had instructed me to say in hopes she would be my new friend. It worked! My mom was right! Alli had to do to make friends was to be friendly and smile! Little did I know that introducing myself to this long haired little girl was the best thing I could have done! We became best friends immediately and still are to this very day!

I believe the reason Jaime and I are still best friends today despite living in separate states, is because we have always been there for one another. As children our relationship stayed strong because we always got along, liked similar things, yet we didn’t have the exact same personality. We were different just enough, that it allowed us to revel in each other’s uniqueness, bringing out the best in one another. Jaime is a talented artist, I can’t draw to save my life! I loved reading constantly, which has helped me to become a detailed writer. We both love animals, rainbows, dragonflies and butterflies, and taking photographs. As the years passed, our friendship moved beyond the realm of being best friends, and we became like family. We still refer to each other’s mothers as “mom #2”. We have never fought over anything, and continue to this day to discover new dynamics in our friendship.

Our friendship has been strengthened over the years due to a mutual respect for one another. We support each other in all we do, cheering each other on, applauding achievements accomplished, consoling the other when life throws us an unexpected curveball that results in sad outcomes, and even if we have been apart for long periods of time, we are able to pick up right where we last left off! We stay in touch through texts, use the various social media platforms to stay abreast of what is happening in each other’s lives, and take turns writing handwritten letters that we mail (so rare in this technology driven world) to each other. The reason we are able to still be best friends, despite living in separate states is we take the time to care about what is happening in each other’s lives! That is the key to keeping a lasting friendship going.

Some of you may know the rhyme “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the others gold”, well Jaime is my golden friend for life!

My first memories I have of my first home conjure up images of well-worn hardwood floors, a cushioned chair in the shade of goldish-yellow with sturdy arm rests made of wood, a small tv set in a deep brown colored tv stand that also held books an either side, and long filmy curtains in the windows. I was two and we lived in an apartment on the second floor of a two story home. The building was owned by my grandfather.
My first home was full of life. There was me, a noisy two year old running around in shoes that echoed off of the hardwood floors, followed closely by my constant companion, our German Shepherd named Columbo, whose nails clicked and clacked on the hardwood. I couldn’t say his name correct, being only two so I settled for calling him “Bumbo” instead. There were cousins, family members, and friends coming and going in that little apartment. My dad would come home from work to crawl all over the hardwood floors with me riding proudly upon his back. Meanwhile my mom would be cooking or baking something delicious that would waft enticingly from the kitchen.

I remember the metal radiators, snake like in their coils, how they emitted such warmth throughout the little apartment. It was always nice and cozy there! I also remember the smell of the wood vanish used to clean the hardwood floors. How it seemed to take forever for it to dry, keeping me and “Bumbo” off the floors and interrupting our games of imagination.

That apartment is still around and still owned by my family. A testament to time standing still somewhat.

Nighttime arrives, shadows begin to lengthen,
sweet slumber will soon overwhelm my being.
Tiny twinkling glimmers appear in an indigo sky,
moonlight glistens, creating a veil of translucency over Earth.
Laying with head cradled in a billowing pillow of softness,
thoughts drift to a land inhabited by sweet dreams.
Visions swirl splendidly throughout my head,
as deeper into unconsciousness I fall.
Dreams filled with memories of times past,
blurry images, changing rapidly within seconds.
Pictures flash by, like a movie set to fast forward,
glimpses of life, not played out in entirety.
They gain in momentum, intensity, appearance,
gasping from the flood of images, I awake.
Sunlight streams in through slated blinds,
blinking from shimmering trajectories, I rise.

Legacy of a Lifetime
My dears, days of sunrises draw to an end,
before breath fails me, there’s a message I must send.
On these precious pages, exist tales you need to know,
stories recounting accomplishments, highs and lows.
Lessons learned, mistakes made,
please listen closely, time will too soon fade.
Read this retelling, take what it says to heart,
grant this final request, before our lives must part.
Share the words imparted, with both young and old,
they must remember who I was, my story needs to be told!
Dreams, hopes, wishes, discovered upon these pages,
my greatest writing masterpiece, shared repeatedly throughout the ages!
When from this Earth I become, a mere memory,
this book will remain behind, as my lifetime legacy!

*The Daily Post prompt was to share what you would leave as your legacy. I feel the reason I became a writer was so my legacy to future generations would be a lifetime of learning to love literature and to hopefully inspire many others to become writers and find a love for the written word as well. This prompt really makes one think. What would your legacy to future generations be?Daily Post Prompt Legacy

I am a firm believe that we don’t just encounter people in our life randomly, they are sent to us for a purpose. This is truly the case for my best friend Jaime and myself. We met on the first day of kindergarten when we were five years old, and have been inseparable ever since! (I won’t say how long we’ve been BFF’s to protect our ageless beauty ;), but trust me its been awhile!) She is the most generous, loving, giving, person I have ever met! She doesn’t think twice about helping out another person and would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it! Over the years, our friendship has grown and blossomed making her feel more like the sister I never had, as opposed to just a friend. We have been there for each other for the good times and bad. Weddings, funerals, birthdays, holidays, you name it! The support she has shown me over the years only continues to grow. Even though we live in different states, whenever we get together, we pick up right where we left off! I feel she epitomizes the qualities of a true friend, someone who isn’t there only for the good moments in life, but for the not so good ones too! We have seen each other at our worst times and she always knows just what to say to make me feel better. I hope I do the same for her as well! She has a heart of gold, and this can be seen in how she treats her students and her pets, as well as in her treatment of other individuals. Though we have been friends for many many years, we have never once been in a fight! Honestly! We just have fun together and are there cheering each other on through life’s little and big achievements! I love her like a sister and she is truly the best friend a girl could ask for! She’s a lover of rainbows, dragonflies, and butterflies just like me. She is a dreamer, creative (you should see her paint Tweety Bird on her own nails!), and I don’t think I could ever say enough to describe the truly magnificent individual that she embodies! If you have a friend that you can always count on, that supports you, and accepts you for the person you are no matter what happens in life, treasure that person and that friendship. This is a unique, wonderful gift to find in life. If you are able to have one true, honest to goodness friend in life, never take that or them for granted! I was given a great gift the day I met my BFF, my sister for life, and I am so thankful to have her in my life!

…..nothing! No blue line was visible in the tiny result window, waiting triumphantly to make her heart soar, to fill her with euphoric happiness. With a sinking heart, she laid her head on the cold, cool sink counter. She had been sure this time she would see that evasive blue line appear, but again its lack of appearance taunted her! Turning her head forlornly towards the test stick laying still beside her, she angrily picked it up to hurl it into the trashcan. Eager to be rid of the evidence of yet another failed attempt. As her hand reached for the mocking, reminder of her inability to achieve a positive result, she gasped in shock! There before her strikingly bright, clear as the blue sky itself, shown a bold, discernible, solid, blue line! It had been only seconds since checking the test, which had caused her such heartache, yet there was the result she had yearned to see for years! An honest to goodness positive result!
Tears of joy sprang from her eyes catching her unaware. Her hands shook, as she cautiously carried her miraculous outcome, gripped gingerly in her hand, to show her husband. Walking slowly, feeling with every step she took, the line might disappear at any moment. In complete disbelief that this was really happening. With sweaty, quivering hands she handed the precious test stick to her husband. Barely capable of speech, she was only able to utter four words to him;
“I think I’m pregnant!”
Spent with emotional exhaustion, she collapsed into his arms, engulfed by his embrace, dissolving into sobs of joy. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, shock over finally registering a positive result, planning how she’d share their news, dreaming of future holidays together, names for their baby, among various other idealistic thoughts experienced by a first-time mother. Her heart was light, she felt as if she was walking on air!
The next 18 weeks flew by quickly. She documented each week with photographs, she and her husband took a last vacation, a babymoon, if you will, to enjoy their last summer before the baby arrived. She went a bit overboard in the baby shopping department, buying anything and everything for their future bundle of joy. She experienced the joy of seeing her baby wiggling around inside of her on ultrasounds, and heard its heartbeat strong, and true for the first time. She was in a wonderful bubble of euphoria, eventually sharing at 13 weeks, their happy news with anyone and everyone!
Then the unthinkable happened at 18 1/2 weeks. There was blood, and she knew what that meant. A trip to the hospital confirmed her suspicions, her baby had stopped growing. Her weeks of happiness, the future she had planned for her child was ended, all in a matter of seconds. She felt robbed of her child, of her dreams for it.
Days turned to weeks, a hollow emptiness consumed her, where her baby had once been. Once happy and complete, she now felt lost, bereft of feeling. Seeking comfort through her writing, she wrote her thoughts and feelings about her lost child. This allowed her to find momentary reprieve from the sadness, her thoughts transferred from her mind to the page. Using writing as her security blanket to overcome this tragedy, slowly she began to heal. She emerged a changed, person, but enduring an experience such as this changes anyone. Through her creative outlet of writing, she further explored her other artistic gifts that had laid dormant through the years. She left the world of professional workers focusing solely on her writing and photography, creating a writing company to commemorate her lost child, who through her death, helped her discover a new life!

*For more about my story visit awritersgallery.wordpress.com to read my raw, emotionally poignant, short story publication Always In My Heart in the featured showcase gallery section of the site. Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by to read my story!

When you’re five years old, he’s the man who checks for monsters under your bed, makes you smile when you skin your knee, and would give you the world if he could! You’re his little princess, the person for whom he’d move Heaven and Earth to keep safe. He’s your father, your hero, the first man you’ll ever love, all embodied in one. A man who would never break your heart, but will return the love you shower upon him twofold.

Through the years as you grow up, he’ ll be your biggest cheerleader, attending all your sporting events, ballet recitals, and school plays. For him, work comes second, family is his priority. He realizes life moves quickly, placing importance on enjoying the little things, those once in a lifetime moments, with the ones you love most.
He serves as your rock growing up, applauding your successes, comforting you during trying times. As you enter adulthood, knowledge dawns, making you realize how much your dad sacrificed, in order to create a wonderful, memorable childhood for you and your siblings. Your admiration for your hero deepens, and you begin to see him through a new perspective. You start to observe the similarities between the two of you, adamantly feeling he can still do no wrong in your eyes, even as you grow up.

With the passage of years, you treasure the bond between father and daughter more intensely. Your relationship with your childhood hero, your dad, is seen as an unbreakable connection untainted by the passage of time. This beautiful connection is one that cannot be experienced with any other person you encounter. In your eyes he will forever be your superman, your father, the first man to ever hold you in his arms, and forever your hero!

Nothing symbolizes beginnings better to me than this photograph of the morning sun rising, shining brightly to begin the day alongside the beginning end of a vibrant rainbow! This pairing together instills in one a sense of hope, of inspiration, the feeling that the world is yours for the taking to achieve your dreams and conquer all that stands in your way! Beginnings offer us a chance to begin anew, to right past wrongs, and strive for greatness. Each day we have the opportunity to create a new beginning, a new vision for our lives, a chance to be the best we can be. This occurs every time the sun rises welcoming a new day. Our chances to create a new beginning are endless since each sunrise is a blank canvas for us to create magnificent moments upon.